Hume-Fogg High School is located on one of the most famous streets in downtown Nashville. Look east and you’ll see the lights of lower Broadway. To the west, you’ll see the towers of Vanderbilt University. What you won’t see is a student parking lot, which is why this page helps you navigate transportation.
Everything for getting to school is on this page — riding the bus, driving and drop-off, garages, walking and biking. Most new families arrive with one specific question: which bus, where to wait, or where to drop off without getting a ticket.
If you would like a little help getting your child’s route planned, a parent volunteer who rides these routes will help you develop a customized plan. Just complete the form below.
The basics
Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet High School sits in the heart of downtown Nashville at 700 Broadway. The school day runs 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The morning school zone runs 7:30–8:15 a.m. and afternoon dismissal runs 2:45–3:30 p.m., so plan car drop-off and pick-up around those windows.
Don’t be tardy
The school day begins at 8 a.m. sharp. Students are expected to be in their classrooms, in their seats, ready for instruction at that time. After 8, students have to sign in with the main office and receive a note to take to class. Parents can write 5 excuse notes per semester for tardies; unexcused tardies are disciplined in alignment with the MNPS referral process.
Ride the bus — free and most popular
Hume-Fogg students ride WeGo transit free with a student ID. The school is unusually well served by transit, and most students use it. WeGo staff will be at Open House to talk through routes, schedules and what the city bus system can do for your student.
- All MNPS high-school students ride WeGo buses and trains free with their student ID.
- Use the MNPS website to learn more or find your stop.
- Routes that pass right by school: 3, 7, 8, 18, 93 and 95. Routes 52, 55, 64, 87, 89 and 94 stop within a short walk, and WeGo Central is about 15 minutes on foot.
- Student IDs are issued during the first month of school and double as the bus pass. Hold onto last year’s card until the new year’s card is issued. Replacements are issued in the school library and cost $15.
New to this? Take a practice trip or two before the first day. Students will be at ease with it in no time. Here are the key things to work out before Day 1:
- What is the most convenient route, with the fewest transfers and the least waiting? Plan it with the Transit app or Google Maps transit directions. You can start with the WeGo network map.
- Where is the best stop to get on? Look for a convenient, safe stop near home or a car drop-off point with a direct ride to Hume-Fogg, arriving before 8:00 a.m. Transferring between buses is slow and effortful, so try to avoid it.
- Coming home, what is the exact route name and number? Routes 3, 4 and 52 divide toward their ends, with A and B branches going to different places.
- Coming home, where will you pull the cord to get off? Note landmarks you can recognize easily — on both sides of the bus, and ones you will see in the dark — so that when you pull the cord you give the driver plenty of time to react to your stop request.
After the planning, two more tips:
- Test the alternatives in real life. Try other routes and times a couple of times over and compare the whole trip. A different walking route can make for a more pleasant walk or a better place to wait, or avoid the need for a slow, effortful transfer.
- Check the bus’s progress live in the Transit app or Google Maps. Turn on location services so the arrival times update as you move.
Want help planning a specific trip? Robert Johnson, a Hume-Fogg parent who rides these routes, will work out the best stop to get on, which route to watch for, and where to get off coming home.
Drive and drop off
The front of the building on Broadway is a passenger loading zone, 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on school days. A few rules keep it safe and legal:
- Pull all the way forward. The car line wraps around the building on 7th Avenue.
- Never stop in moving traffic on Broadway, 7th or 8th, and don’t form a second lane or block the crosswalk.
- The school zone speed limit is 15 mph and is actively enforced.
- There is no visitor parking. For a quick run-in, get a short-term pass from the main office and put it on your dash.
- At pick-up, don’t block or wait in the back lot on Church Street — the lot owner may charge you. Having your student walk a block or two makes pick-up much faster.
Park in a garage
There is no student parking at school, so drivers use a nearby garage:
- 310 Commerce Street garage — a short walk from school, and the cheapest option for Hume-Fogg families at $10.99 a day for 12 hours. Enter your details on your phone at the garage when you park, then scan the QR code posted in the hallways at Hume-Fogg to get the rate.
- Music City Center garage — 701 Demonbreun Street, a few blocks south of the school. Rates, entrances and hours are on the Music City Center site.
- For anything else, the Nashville Downtown Partnership keeps a map of downtown garages and lots with current rates. The Public Library garage on 7th Avenue, long the closest option, is closed until further notice.
Apps like SpotHero and Premier Parking show rates and let you pre-pay.
Walk and bike
- Walking: where there is no sidewalk, walk facing traffic. Hoodie down and headphones off, and look both ways before crossing — every time. Cross at stop signs or where you have a clear view in both directions. Downtown, stick to sidewalks and marked crosswalks, obey the walk signals, and cross behind buses rather than in front. Downtown is busiest right before the first bell, so give yourself a few minutes.
- Biking: students can bring a bike inside at school. There are bike racks, lockers and showers at the Downtown YMCA on Church Street, about a 10-minute walk away. Bikes ride free on WeGo buses and trains.
At a glance
| Option | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| WeGo bus or train | Free with student ID | Most students — routes 3, 7, 8, 18, 93 and 95 pass the school |
| Drop-off, Broadway loading zone | Free | Families driving in around 7:30–8:15 a.m. or 2:45–3:30 p.m. |
| Public garage | $10.99 a day at 310 Commerce Street; standard rates elsewhere | Drivers who want to park and come in |
| Walk or bike | Free | Families nearby, or combining with transit |